Northern part of Japan includes Tohoku and Hokkaido.  I love the snow.  The extreme cold weather seems to make people’s life so much deeper and richer.  This is not to say that the warm weather does not bring deeper culture but cold weather just seems to make lives more inward looking.  I find this very fascinating.  

 

My interest in Hokkaido is the similarity in nature to the Australian countryside and outback, as both of them have vast openness with a clear horizon.  I have been taking photographs of fishermen in one of the northern most island of Japan called Rishiri Island.  My interest in this island is pretty similar to my interest in Windorah in Queensland Australia.  Two extreme locations with two extreme temperatures but similar in finding the goodness of people living in these remote area.

 

Tohoku is the northern part of Honshu Island in Japan.  This area is rich in culture and history.  Tugaru Shamisen is a string instrument and in the old days this music was played by blind men trying to make their living by playing music.  Listening to this Tsugaru shamisen in snow and feeling the heat of music waves mounting among audiences and musician, people starting to dance (though it is referred to as jumping rather than dancing) reminded me of dancing with country music at Windorah. 

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Locations :

Rishiri Island, Hokkaido, Japan
Hokkaido, Japan
Tohoku, Japan